Lion's Head

In keeping with our training for Nepal, Brendan and I climbed Lion's Head yesterday, and lucky for us Dave (poppa MB) joined us. Lion's Head is a mountain between Table Mountain and Signal Hill here in Cape Town, and is part of the stunning skyline we enjoy daily. The peak is 669 meters (2,195 feet) above sea level, which means it gives us zero elevation training for Nepal where our starting altitude is just shy of 3,000 ft and our highest height is something obscene like 17,000 ft. I'm trying not to think about that too much. Anyway, this mountain got its name because its profile sort of looks like a seated lion.

We started our ascent around 4:30pm (after a heavenly lunch out at the Morgenhof wine estate...life here is very hard). We got to the top by about 5:45 after a number of stops to enjoy the scenery. One of the lovely things about this walk is that you walk in a spiral to get to the very top, so you slowly enjoy a 360 degree view of the city and ocean. And while there are some very steep sections and a few rock scrambles, the sweat and occasional banged knee is worth it to see these views.

When a thin layer of cloud covers Table Mountain it is called the table cloth (cute, no?). You can just see it forming here. Also, note that grey building at the base of the mountain and the little nubbin on the edge of the mountain on top. That is where the Table Mountain cableway runs. Hope that doesn't scare my fam too much because we are riding that when you visit in December!

That's me in the lower right, adding a bit of perspective. This city is so full of beauty and grandeur. I feel continually fortunate to be here.

With much love from the Mother City

xx b&b